Love Insurance
by Phantasy Star
Summary: Darien and Serena work together at Tokyo's most successful insurance firm... as competing team leaders. But as the company faces bankrupcy due to unfair competition, the two enemies must work together to save it. SD [Finished]
1. Love and War

- Author's Notes:

I started this story because I thought it would be interesting to see Serena and  
Darien fall in love as adults. I'm not a fan of office romance but when it comes  
to my favourite couple, well... :)  
.

- Disclaimer:

Sailor Moon belongs to Naoko Takeuchi, not yours truly.  
.  
.

Love Insurance  
by Phantasy Star  
--------------------  
Chapter One: Love and War  
.

"Ha-hahahahahahaha!" Serena laughed as tears fell from her eyes, "Oh, Mr. Chiba!  
That has got to be THE ugliest jacket I have EVER seen!"

Even though she stood in the middle of a large office and it was the busiest time  
of the day, nobody made a noise. The four girls behind Serena stared up at her  
and the four guys behind the dark-haired man she was talking to waited anxiously  
for their boss' comeback.

Serena continued to laugh, lifting her delicate fingers to dry a few tears on  
her face. Then she turned to her four sub-ordinates who stood in a row behind her.

"Am I right?" she asked with a sweet smile.

"Of course you are, Miss Tsukino!" the four girls chorused obediently.

Darien smirked.

"Well, Miss Tsukino, some of us wear extra outer garments to keep those parts  
that should be private, well, private," he said, and grinned, "I can pretty much  
see through your pink shirt, you know."

The four gray-suited guys who stood behind him howled and whistled.

Serena gasped, horrified, and crossed her arms over her chest.

"You sickos!" she screamed, then quickly turned around and held her head high,  
"Come on, girls, let's leave these freaks alone and get to work."

She walked away and leaned back slightly to look at Darien's group disdainfully,  
"Unlike some people, we don't waste our mornings doing useless things when we  
can be out getting clients."

Darien gave a low whistle as she walked away, "If you keep dressing like that,  
you'll get a TON of clients."

The guys behind Darien laughed.

The color drained from Serena's face. With a huff, she stormed into her office  
and slammed the door shut.

- - - - -

"Why why why why why didn't I think of a better comeback?" Serena groaned,  
smacking herself in the head over and over.

Someone knocked on the door.

"Come in," she said disheartedly.

"Miss Tsukino," Amy said as she walked inside, "I got the files that you wanted."

"Thanks Amy," Serena said as she grabbed the binder from her and began to leaf  
through it as quickly as she could.

She gasped.

"Oh, Chiba wasn't bluffing!" she wailed, "They really DID sell 1.4 times as many  
insurance packages as we did last year!"

Amy sighed and tried to comfort her boss, "We'll try harder, I promise."

Serena looked like she was about to cry, "I hope so."

Then she stomp her foot on the floor angrily, "It's not even about the money  
anymore, you know? It's him!" - she paused to point a finger in the general  
direction where Darien's office was - "I've GOT to beat him this coming season!"

Amy nodded sympathetically.

"I wish you weren't the one to deliver me the bad news," Serena said poutingly,  
"If it were any of the other girls I'd yell at them, but you're too nice to yell at."

Amy smiled, "I'm glad you feel that way. Well, I should get back to work."

Serena nodded, "Good. Show Cheeky Chiba and his yo-yo's what we're made of!"

Then she looked uncomfortably up at her assistant, "Um... There's one last thing,  
Amy..." - she blushed - "Do you mind if I borrow your jacket for the day?"

- - - - -

"Great job, boss! You really put the crazy woman in her place."

"Her head was so red I thought she'd blow a vein!"

Darien just smiled and took in the praise his assistants were giving him.

"All right, boys," he grinned, holding up a hand to silence them, "Time to get  
back to work. Let's keep those ditzy girls squirming this coming season, okay?"

"Okay, boss!"

- - - - -

Serena plastered a smile on her face as she sat down. "Hello, Mr. Chiba."

Darien nodded politely, "Miss Tsukino. How nice to see you."

"I've been looking forward to this meeting," she answered.

The two of them turned their fake smiles over to the person sitting opposite them,  
on the other side of the huge wooden desk.

"I see that you kids are on great terms!" their boss exclaimed, "Sometimes we get  
little conflicts between the two teams working here at the company."

Darien chuckled, "No, not us."

"We're not in elementary school, Mr. Collins," Serena joked.

"Good, good," Mr. Collins said, "But I'm afraid I'll have to add a bit of a  
competitive aspect to your work this coming season."

"Oh, how's that?" Serena asked, still smiling sweetly.

"Well..." the old man said, lifting his glasses slightly to see them better,  
"As you both know, the branch director is retiring this year, and we need  
someone to fill his shoes."

Serena's mouth dropped open, but she quickly closed it back up.

He leaned forward towards them, "Now, I've been watching Team D and Team S's  
performance this season and I'm very impressed. I think both of you have the  
potential to be a great branch director."

He shrugged, "Unfortunately, we can't promote both of you..."

Darien's brow furrowed.

"So..." Mr. Collins said, finishing with a smile, "I've decided that the current  
team leader who can lead their team to make the most sales this season will  
get the promotion for next term. Of course, the other one will remain team  
leader, but they'll be working under the new branch director."

Serena's eyes widened.

'Great!' Darien thought.

He nodded politely, "That sounds fair, doesn't it, Miss Tsukino?"

'I'm doomed!' Serena wailed in her mind, 'Darien's going to be my BOSS?'

She smiled back at her co-worker, "Well, I don't really believe in competition,  
but since it's for the good of the company, I suppose I'm all right with it."

"Now, Miss Tsukino..." their boss said, "I've noticed that your team is lagging  
behind Team D this last season... But with a little extra hard work, I'm sure  
you can do just as well."

It was getting harder and harder for Serena to keep her smile up, "I will  
definitely try my best, Mr. Collins."

"Good," the boss said, nodding, "That'll be all. Thanks for coming in."

- - - - -

Once the door shut, Serena glared at a smirking Darien.

"Oh, so you're a prophet now, are you?" Serena raged, "You just KNOW you're  
going to win?"

"I wonder what I should buy first after I get the promotion..." Darien said,  
rubbing his chin thoughtfully, "A new car, maybe?"

The two walked back to the main office where their team members were working.

"Guys, guys, guys," Darien said, exapserated, "You're working too hard. We  
should at least give Team S a LITTLE chance to catch up with us this term..."

Serena was almost shaking with anger.

"I'm going to win this promotion," he whispered smugly, bringing his face close  
to hers.

Her eyes burned against his.

"We'll see, Chiba," Serena said through clenched teeth, "We'll see."

- - - - -

Three days later...

"Look at those dark, blue eyes..."

"And those broad shoulders..."

"And those high cheekbones..."

The three girls peeked through the crack of Raye's cubicle at the team leader of  
Team D. They sighed as Mr. Chiba continued to lecture one of his assistants.

"I love his voice..." Raye whispered, "So deep... So authoritative..."

"And his hair..." Mina whispered back, giggling a little.

They watched as he finished what he was saying and turned around to head back  
to his own office. He carried a black folder in one hand and had his other one  
in his pocket.

Lita gasped, "Oh, and he's got a nice- OW!"

"OW!" Raye cried.

"OW!" Mina screamed.

The three girls turned around slowly and saw Serena looming over them  
threateningly. She threw away the thick newspaper she had just used to smack  
their heads with.

"No wonder we're doing so much worse than Team D!" she yelled, "My team wastes  
all its time OOGLING AT THE OPPOSING TEAM'S TEAM LEADER!"

"Sorry..." Mina mumbled.

"Do you know what's going to happen if we lose?" Serena screamed, "I'm not going  
to be the only one who's going to suffer. Sure, once Cheeky Chiba becomes our  
boss, he's going to start making my life in the company miserable, if he doesn't  
fire me first. But trust me, he's not going to be nice to you either!"

Her voice broke as she motioned for Amy to come over.

She pulled the other four girls into a group hug as she began to cry.

"His stupid Team D is going to get all the big clients and he's going to give us  
the little useless jobs," she wailed, "I don't want the five of us to get screwed  
over by that monster!"

The other girls sniffled and tried to comfort their broken team leader.

"We're not going to give up, Miss Tsukino..." they said, tears appearing in their  
own eyes.

"And neither will I!" Serena sniffled, a determined look slowly replacing the  
sad one on her face. "We've got to win this no matter what!"

- - - - -

"Serena, I think it's a little early for me to be thinking about retirement..."

Andrew looked uncomfortable as Serena continued to flip through her book of  
notes. They sat in a little restaurant in downtown Tokyo. The food remained  
untouched.

"Fine, we'll talk about that later," Serena pressed on, "Now, how about life  
insurance? Because, let's face it, Andrew, none of us are going to live  
forever."

Andrew sighed, "I'm not even married. Who am I going to pass the money to?"

Serena frowned, thinking hard. Then her face lit up, crazy edge back in her eyes,  
"How about insurance for your restaurant? Let's say your cook accidentally lights  
himself up on fire and the whole place burns down. When that happens, you'll  
want to be covered, right?"

Andrew shook his head, "Sorry, Serena... I already have insurance for my  
restaurant."

Serena groaned, frustrated.

Then she sighed, "No, I'm the one who's sorry. I haven't called you in weeks  
and I asked you to see me today only for this..."

Her eyes fell, "But I just really have to do well this term. I can't let Darien  
be my boss! I can't!"

Andrew nodded sympathetically.

"By the way..." Serena mumbled, "Where do you buy your restaurant insurance from  
anyway? I should know the names of some of our biggest competitors..."

Andrew didn't answer for a second.

"Well... uh..."

Serena frowned, "What's wrong?"

"Er..." he said, colour rising to his cheeks.

Serena leaned forward, "What? You can't say...?"

The more he hesitated, the more curious she became.

"Tell me..." she whined, "Which company do you buy your insurance plan from?"

Andrew winced.

"Yours," he croaked.

Serena looked confused, "But I never sold you..."

Then it hit her like a tidal wave.

"WHAT?" she screamed, "YOU BOUGHT YOUR INSURANCE FROM CHIBA?"

The restaurant exploded.

- - - - -

Serena stomped down the street, her purse flailing wildly in her hand.

"That traitor," she muttered under her breath, "I hope his restaurant DOES burn  
down."

The rain was coming down hard now. She held on to her umbrella tighter.

'I hope it doesn't start thundering...'

Then she sniffled, her thoughts going back to the problem at hand, "Now Darien's  
going to win for sure, and I'm going to be-"

SPLASH!

She cried out loud, startled, as a car drove by and ran a stream of rainwater up  
to the sidewalk and soaked her thoroughly.

"Why is this happening to me?" she cried miserably.

"I'm so sorry, Miss!"

She turned around, surprised that the driver had bothered to stop. He looked  
like he was in his mid-twenties. His brown hair was starting to get wet from  
the rain since he had gotten out of his car.

"It's okay," she mumbled, "It's probably not your fault anyway. Just my bad  
luck."

He looked concerned, "You're all wet..."

"I'll just go into that diner and dry my clothes..." Serena said with a sigh.

Without turning around, she went into the restaurant nearby and headed for the  
washroom.

- - - - -

She sighed.

'I love my life,' she thought bitterly as she pulled her half-dried jacket back  
on.

Checking her appearance over one last time in the mirror, she walked out of the  
washroom. She blinked when she saw the young man who sat at one of the tables -  
the one who had splashed her on the sidewalk.

"What are you still doing here?" Serena asked incredulously.

"I felt bad for what happened," he explained, "I thought I could treat you to  
lunch to make up for it."

"I already had lunch," Serena grumbled, "But I didn't finish all of it because  
the guy who I ate it with suddenly stabbed me in the back and I left in a blaze  
of anger."

He smiled, "Well then, order something. It's on me."

Serena looked skeptical. She stared at the chair opposite the stranger.

He shrugged, "Fine, I'll order for you."

He motioned for the waiter to come by and asked for two set lunches. Serena  
sighed and finally sat down.

"I'm Alex," he said, extending his hand.

"It's nice to meet you," Serena mumbled miserably as she took it, "I'm Serena."

"That's a nice name," he answered plesantly, "So, you work for Tokyo Insurance?"

Serena was about to ask him how he knew. Then she saw that her briefcase was  
out in front of them, the name of her company written on top.

"Yeah..."

He grinned. "What a coincidence. I was just looking to buy an insurance plan."

Serena gasped, her face brightening immediately, "Really? What kind?"

He shrugged, "All of them. Car, life, retirement."

Serena sighed and turned away from him.

"I'm really not in the mood for playing around," she mumbled.

"Why would I joke about something like this?" he protested, "Come on, show me the  
papers."

Serena hesitated. Then she opened her briefcase and pulled out the files.

- - - - -

"Ha-hahahahahahaha!" Serena laughed as she waltzed inside the front doors of the  
Tokyo Insurance office, "Guess who just sold THREE major insurance plans and one  
PLATINUM PACKAGE! It's time to bow down before the great Serena!"

To her surprise, Darien stared at her, not saying anything.

"Look, Chiba!" she said, holding the signed papers in her hand close to the  
opposing team leader's face, "Look at these words carefully. P-L-A-T-I-"

She froze.

Then she turned around slowly and found herself face to face with her boss, who  
was standing behind her.

He was staring at her. She stared back.

She tried to chuckle, "I was just... trying to give Mr. Chiba some... motivation..."

Mr. Collins suddenly smiled back at her and she sighed inwardly with relief.

"Good, good, Miss Tsukino," he said good-naturedly, "Well done. But Mr. Chiba  
didn't do so bad himself. Just today he told me he sold three platinum-type life  
insurance packages."

Serena's heart stopped.

"Well, keep up the great work, both of you," Mr. Collins said, patting them both  
on the back before walking off.

Darien put on a confused look.

"I'm sorry, what were you saying?" he asked innocently.

"We still have three weeks left in the term," she hissed when she recovered her  
ability to speak, "Three weeks is plenty of time to sell a thousand platinum  
packages and kick your butt! I've got skill on my side, you know!"

"Oh please, Miss Tsukino," Darien retorted.

Serena glared at him, "I admit that I use my charm a little bit to make sales,  
but trust me, Chiba, intelligence and sincerity are my greatest weapons!"

Darien laughed mockingly, "Guess again, Miss Tsukino. The way I see it, the only  
thing you've got are your looks. I bet clients only sign your papers because  
you're gorgeous."

The entire office gasped.

"That is so not true!" Serena screamed hotly, "I- Wait, what did you call me?"

Darien's eyes widened as he suddenly realized what he had just said.

"I, uh... I..." he stammered.

It was the first time Serena had seen him look uncomfortable. Everyone leaned  
towards him curiously.

"I..." Darien sputtered, then threw a folder on the desk beside him hard, before  
turning to his assistants.

"Get back to work!" he barked at them angrily.

The four guys rushed back to their desks.

Before anyone could question him further, Darien disappeared quickly into his  
office and slammed the door shut. Serena stared after him, her mouth open.

'He thinks I'm... gorgeous?'


	2. Feel the Love

Love Insurance  
by Phantasy Star  
--------------------  
Chapter Two: Feel the Love

.  
Gorgeous.

He had called her gorgeous.

Darien Chiba had called her gorgeous.

Serena groaned as she brought another chocolate cookie to her mouth. She munched  
on it with a frown on her face and purposely failed to notice the crumbs that fell  
on to her bed.

'How can I still be thinking about this?' she wondered.

She had been so distracted all day at work that she left a little early, so that  
she could go home and be distracted there. Now it was eleven o'clock at night and  
she was still thinking about his little comment.

'So what if he thinks I'm gorgeous?' she frowned, 'That means completely nothing  
to me. I mean, his opinion is the very last one I should care about...'

She put the box of cookies on the bedside table and turned the lamp off. Then she  
rested her head on the pillow and stared up at the ceiling.

"How am I going to concentrate tomorrow at work?" Serena wailed, "If I keep this  
up I'm going to lose the promo-"

Her mouth flew wide open and her eyes followed suit. She sat up suddenly, her  
blanket carelessly falling to the floor beside her.

"I can't believe I didn't realize it until now!" she exclaimed.

- - - - -

"Good morning, Mr. Chiba."

Darien nodded to one of his assistants as he stirred his coffee. It was early  
morning and he was in the office lunch room getting caffeinated. He leisurely  
took a sip and began flipping through the newspaper on the table in front of him.

He frowned as he read one of the headlines: Tokyo Insurance hosting dinner dance  
event at the end of August. No doubt Mr. Collins would force him to go.

"Chiba!"

He groaned. He had been afraid of this.

"Darien Chiba, I'm talking to you!"

He turned around slowly and attempted to cover up the nervousness in his voice.  
"What... what do you want, Miss Tsukino?"

Serena suddenly grabbed both sides of his collar and attempted to pull him up,  
but groaned in frustation when she found out he was too heavy. Angrily, she let  
go of him.

"I know what you were trying to do!" she said, crossing her arms.

"What are you talking about?" Darien said, genuinely confused.

"The whole 'gorgeous' thing!" Serena fumed, "You were trying to confuse and  
distract me so that I won't be at my best performance!"

Darien blinked. Then he forced a smile.

"Wow, even ditzy Serena figured it out," he said, putting on his best mocking grin.

"I never thought you'd stoop so low, Chiba," Serena said angrily, "But thank  
goodness for my sharp mind and intuition! Oh ho ho, nice try, Darien. Nice try."

With a huff, she turned around and walked out of the room. Darien stared after  
her, then turned and sighed in relief, before returning to his paper.

- - - - -

Beautiful violin music played in the ballroom. Couples danced on the stage in  
the middle of the room and there were many half-filled tables on the sides, some  
people in deep conversations and others having drinks together. The room was  
dimmed to create a quiet and elegant atmosphere.

Serena frowned. She was never fully comfortable in these situations. Despite  
this, many people around her stared at her flowing white dress that hung so  
perfectly over her shoulders.

"Why can't I just skip these formal dances?" she complained to Amy who sat beside  
her, "It's all so boring and pretentious."

"Mr. Collins said we can find clients here, Miss Tsukino," Amy reminded her in a  
whisper, "And it's our last chance to get papers signed before the term ends."

The blue-haired girl continued to stare at her cup nervously, hoping that no one  
would notice her and ask her to dance.

"I guess I may as well try," Serena sighed, standing up.

She was about to head to one of the other tables when a familar figure came  
towards her and she grimaced. She tried to ignore how great Darien's tuxedo  
looked on him. But then, he always looked good.

"Mr. Collins wants us to dance," he said, offering her his hand.

"Why?" she frowned, not taking it.

He shrugged, "He says that we're supposed to be the hosts after all, and we  
should participate."

Serena sighed, putting her smaller hand in his, "This is the biggest sacrifice  
I've ever had to make for this company."

Darien ignored her and pulled her on to the dance floor, his arm immediately  
wrapping around her waist and making her gasp.

"Geez, would it kill you to smile, Serena?" Darien scolded, "People are looking  
at us, you know..."

Serena forced one, "Better?"

"Much," he said without moving his mouth. His eyes looked at her with fake  
affection.

For half a second, Serena wondered if it was genuine. Then she mentally slapped  
herself for even considering the thought.

"I'm going to win the promotion," Serena said.

"Not if I can help it," Darien countered, his face pleasant, "Believe me, I've  
probably doubled your sales this term."

He spun her and she twirled around gracefully, landing on his left arm as he  
caught her.

"I guess we'll find out tomorrow," Serena said, hiding her anger behind her  
sweet smile.

Darien pulled her close and the two continued to waltz, "Hope you didn't get your  
hopes up."

It was then that Serena tripped and found her face against his chest, her hands  
caught in his. She quickly pulled away.

She blinked and tried to ignore the awkwardness between them, "I... hope you  
didn't, um, have YOURS up."

The song ended and Serena mumbled something that he couldn't hear before heading  
back to the table. In the corner of her eye, she was almost absolutely sure that  
he was staring after her.

"Serena!" someone called abruptly.

She turned her head and looked surprised, "Alex! What are you doing here?"

He smiled at her as he came up close, "Well, you know, my company sent a whole  
bunch of us out here too."

"It's nice to see a friendly face," Serena said brightly, "I only brought one of  
my assistants with me and she's too busy staring at her drink to talk to me."

He laughed, "Hey, you wanna dance?"

"Uh... sure!" Serena said.

Alex was obviously a pro at ballroom dancing, but somehow, Serena didn't seem as  
safe or as warm as she did when she was with her previous dance partner.

She tried to clear her head of those crazy thoughts and attempted to start up a  
conversation, "I really appreciate what you did for me three weeks ago... I've  
had to approach many clients in the past and it's never happened the other way  
around."

Alex smiled at her as they continued to dance, "Well, I needed it. So did you get  
that promotion?"

Serena grinned back, "My boss is going to tell me tomorrow. But after you  
upgraded your plans, I think I might have a chance."

Alex said something then but she missed it. Her eyes had caught her previous  
dance partner's and she could have sworn she saw a look of jealousy on his face.  
But it disappeared so quickly she wasn't sure it was ever there at all.

- - - - -

"Well, I read over both your reports..."

Serena and Darien looked nervously at their boss who paced back and forth in front  
of them, looking at the folder in front of him.

"You both did great," Mr. Collins said, the wrinkles on his forehead showing as  
he frowned thoughtfully, "And kudos to Miss Tsukino for a great improvement."

Serena would have beamed at that under any other circumstances, but she was too  
nervous about the results to react.

"But..." he began.

A feeling of dread washed over her.

"... Mr. Chiba still sold 1.2 times more than you did this term."

Serena's mouth opened slightly.

"So I guess the promotion to branch director goes to Mr. Chiba," Mr. Collins said,  
"Congratulations."

Darien raised his hand cautiously to shake his boss's, but his worried eyes were  
still on Serena.

"Now," Mr. Collins continued, "I understand that Miss Tsukino has a bigger office.  
Since Mr. Chiba is now at the higher position, I would recommend that the two of  
you switch. It's only fair, after all."

Serena finally spoke, a slight sob accompanying her words.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Collins," she said, her eyes watering, "But that's not necessary.  
I... I quit!"

She stood up and ran out of the room.

"Uh, excuse me, Mr. Collins!" Darien said quickly and chased after her.

- - - - -

"Serena!" he called after her down the hallway.

She turned around, a few tears spilling over her cheeks, "What do you want? You  
want to gloat? To make fun of me? Fine, you won! You beat me and now I'm  
leaving so you'll never have to be bothered by me again, okay? What else could  
you POSSIBLY want?"

Darien flinched slightly at her words. Then he stared into her eyes.

"I, uh..." he said, then shrugged, "I thought maybe you should stay."

Serena looked confused, then angry, "So you can torture me? I'd rather look for  
another job at-"

"I won't," Darien said seriously, "And you can keep your office if you want."

Serena's eyes were bewildered, "What?"

"I'm happy with my office the way it is," he said, his gaze falling to the floor  
as he sighed, "I know you only got this job because of your father's connections.  
If you venture out there on your own, you're not going to end up anywhere."

"That's not true," Serena said defiantly.

"Look," Darien continued, "I won't have time to follow up on as many clients after  
I become branch director. I might have to direct a few of them to your team."

She blinked, still trying to figure him out.

"Why?" she said softly.

"Why what?"

She frowned. "Why are you being so nice to me?"

Darien shrugged, "I don't care about my office size and I really don't have time  
to deal with so many clients. So it's more for me than for you."

"Um... Okay then."

"So you'll stay?" Darien said, a hint of hopefulness in his voice.

She nodded, "I... I'll go tell Mr. Collins..."

Darien nodded his agreement. He watched as she walked past him slowly and headed  
back to their boss' office.

"Um..." Serena said quietly, her back to him.

She turned around and gave him half a smile, her eyes filled with emotion,  
"Thanks."

The single word made his features brighten immediately, but his usual arrogant  
face appeared only a moment later. He put his hands in his pockets. "Just go,  
Meatball Head."


	3. Love Me, Love Me Not

Love Insurance  
by Phantasy Star  
--------------------  
Chapter Three: Love Me, Love Me Not  
.

"Well?"

"Well what?"

"Well, did you?"

Serena blinked. "Did I what?"

"Did you get the promotion, yes or no?" Kenji said somewhat exasperately to his  
daughter. He looked at her expectantly from across the dinner table.

Serena sighed and put down her fork, "Well, you know how these things are. You  
win some, you lose some. There was only one promotion and the chances weren't  
that great, so I-"

"Honey, there were only the two of you competiting for the spot!" Kenji exclaimed.

"Now, Kenji," Ikuko said soothingly to her husband, "Don't be so harsh. If you  
keep raising your voice during dinner, Serena isn't going to want to come over to  
eat with us anymore."

"Serena," Kenji sighed, "I'm not trying to be tough with you. It's just that  
you've been working there for two years while this Chiba guy came in only a few  
months ago. I thought you'd be able to out-do him!"

"Darien's too smart," Serena wailed, "I don't know how he does it! But I promise  
I'll try harder, Daddy."

"You're twenty-two," Kenji reminded her, "You're not little anymore. You've got  
to take yourself seriously and really work hard. Besides, you're always telling  
us what a cad that other team leader is. Wouldn't you like to beat him?"

Serena smiled inwardly, partly because her father used the word 'cad' but also  
because of the mention of Darien, "Actually, Daddy... He's not so bad after  
all..."

Her parents stared at each other, their eyes wide.

A smile appeared on Ikuko's face as she leaned over closer to her daughter,  
"And what exactly does that mean, honey?"

Serena shrugged, starting to blush, "Well, it's just that... I think I'm beginning  
to see a whole new side to Mr. Chiba I've never seen before..."

- - - - -

Darien walked into the high-class restaurant with his briefcase in his hand and  
a folder in the other. He glanced at his watch - he was early.

To his surprise, he saw the person he was about to meet at the table they had  
agreed upon.

"Miss Robarts?" he said hesitantly, looking at the girl who had her hair down in  
front of her and was whimpering softly, "Miss Robarts, are you all right?"

The girl looked up and tears were in her large eyes. She was beautiful and had  
long, flowing dark hair.

"You must be Mr. Chiba," she said, crying, "I... I lost my wallet. I mean, I just  
got here to Tokyo and I don't know anyone, and I don't have any money, and... and  
I..."

Darien sat down, concerned.

"Don't worry, I'll go to the police station with you," he said gently, "They'll  
find it for you in no time. But we should call your credit card companies to have  
your cards cut."

He quickly motioned a waiter over and ordered some tea, "Okay, have some of this  
and get yourself calmed down. My car is right outside."

To his surprise, the girl was trying to stifle a giggle. She finally burst out  
laughing, "You're very professional, Mr. Chiba."

Darien blinked.

Then he frowned, "You were toying with me?"

"Sorry, I couldn't resist practicing my acting skills," she said with a smile,  
extending her hand which Darien took, "I'm Yulia."

Darien looked at his file, "Right, Yulia Robarts..."

"I AM new to Tokyo," she said brightly, "Just here for a few weeks to shoot a  
movie. And I needed an insurance plan to cover me for the coming month."

Darien smiled, "You really had me fooled there. So you're an actor?"

"Kinda," she said, "I've done a few television movies but nothing major. This is  
my first on-screen movie. I'm the secondary female lead. So... what did you  
think of my little performance?"

Darien laughed, "I wouldn't be able to give you advice on acting, but the  
insurance plan I can help you with."

They ordered their lunch and Darien took out the files.

"I'll need you to sign a couple of papers today, and once I make up the proposal,  
I'll fax it to you so you can take a look. Then we can meet up again so you can  
sign those too," Darien explained, "Should be just a couple of days."

Yulia's eyes danced playfully, "You know, it's my first time in Tokyo and I don't  
have to start shooting 'till next week. Maybe when we meet up, you can show me  
around a little bit."

Darien grinned, "Not a problem at all, Miss Robarts."

"Please, call me Yulia."

- - - - -

"Ugh, we're so completely screwed," Lita said with a sigh, "I can't believe Mr.  
Chiba got the promotion."

"I knew I should have worked harder," Mina whimpered, "I shouldn't have skipped  
out on that business dinner with the restaurant chef and gone shopping instead."

Just then, Serena walked into the coffee room, "Hey girls, what are you talking  
about?"

"Miss Tsukino," Raye said, "We heard that Mr. Chiba got the promotion, which means  
we'll be working under him, and... well, since you two aren't exactly on good  
terms, we just think it'll be bad news for us."

Serena smiled, "Well, actually... I wouldn't worry too much about it. Darien, er,  
I mean Mr. Chiba, seems harsh at times, but... I think he's really quite a  
gentleman underneath."

Her four assistants stared at her, not blinking.

Serena blushed, "I mean, I'm not saying we're friends, exactly. Just... well,  
might be getting there, you know?"

Knowing what their faces meant, Serena clearing her throat, "Okay, girls, enough  
chitchat. Break time's over, back to work!"

She walked out with her mug of chocolate back to her office, leaving the others  
grinning at each other.

"Looks like Mr. Chiba finally charmed her," Lita said mischieviously.

"Hmm, if the rivalry stops, maybe it'll be good news for us," Mina said brightly.

"Let's hope so," Raye said with a smile.

- - - - -

Three days later...

"Did everybody leave?" Serena said incredulously.

Darien shrugged, "Amy was the last, she left an hour ago. What are you still  
doing here?"

He was holding a cup of coffee as he sat in the break room and Serena was heading  
for the fridge. It was ten o'clock and the office was empty except for the two  
of them.

"Just had some papers to finish typing up," Serena explained, "I know that if I  
go home I'll fall asleep right away, so I thought I'd stay and get it over with."

Darien nodded, "Same here."

"I was just about to go though," Serena said, then added with a grin, "Girl's  
gotta get her beauty sleep, you know."

"Well," Darien said, looking at his watch, "I should be heading out too. Say, why  
don't you put down that muffin and we'll go grab a bite together?"

Serena's face turned red immediately. A late dinner? Alone? With HIM?

Sure, after the whole "I quit" thing, they didn't bicker anymore and he was  
actually nice to her sometimes. And she did see him in a whole different light...  
She admired him. But that was it. Not in LOVE with him. Right? And now all  
of a sudden, he's asking her to-

"MisS Tsukino?"

Serena jumped and suddenly realized that he was still there, waiting for an answer.

"Um..." she stammered, almost nervously, "Well, okay. I'll go lock my room..."

Just then, Darien's phone rang.

"Chiba here. "Oh, Yulia? Yeah, of course. No, not a problem at all," he frowned,  
"Yeah, now is good. Okay, see you in a few minutes."

Serena tried not to look hurt as Darien smiled apologetically at her, "Sorry, I  
have to go meet somebody. Maybe next time, okay?"

She was about to nod but Darien had already walked out of the break room in a  
hurry. She sighed as her own cell phone rang.

"Alex?" she said, surprised, "What are you doing calling so late?"

"Just wondering if you'll be at work tomorrow," his voice said from the other end  
of the line.

"Well," Serena said, "That's kind of the first rule of the company... Must show up  
on weekdays. Why?"

"Nothin'" he said casually, but she could tell that he was smiling, "Just wanted  
to make sure, that's all..."

"Um, okay..."

"I'll see you soon, okay?" Alex said.

"Soon? What do you mean?"

He laughed, "You'll see. Good night!"

Serena heard the click and she smiled to herself, immediately cheering up.

'The guy's like a puppy dog...' she mused.

- - - - -

"Okay, everybody gather around!" Mr. Collins said.

Serena, Darien, and the others at the office paused and looked at their boss.

"As you've all been informed," he said, "After Mr. Chiba was promoted to branch  
director, Team D is in need of a new leader. I'd like to present your new  
colleague and, for some of you, your new team leader, Alex Montgomery. He just  
transferred from Peace Insurance and he was a team manager there."

To Serena's surprise, Alex walked out from the new office.

"I hope to get to know you all very soon," Alex said with a smile, then added with  
a wink in Serena's direction, "I've done some research and Team S sounds like  
a well-run group with a very competent leader. I hope Team S and Team D will have  
a lot of chances to work together in the future."

The others clapped, and Serena blushed.

"Well, I hope you'll make him feel welcome and you'll get familiar with one  
another quickly," Mr. Collins said, "Have a good day."

The assistants went back to their desks as the boss walked out, but Alex came over  
to Serena.

"This is going to be fun, eh?" he said cheerfully.

"Don't think I won't compete with you just because you're my friend," Serena said  
teasingly, "Come on, I'll show you around."

As the two walked off, Darien watched after them with a slight frown on his face.  
Then he retreated back to his own office, closing the door quietly behind him.

- - - - -

"Miss Tsukino," Darien said as he walked into her office, "I need you to pick up  
my schedule tomorrow night. I won't have time to meet my last two clients."

Serena frowned as she checked her agenda, "But your meeting with Miss Yulia Robarts  
ends at six, which means you can still meet Mr. Talbot at seven and-"

"I, uh, I won't be available," Darien said, "So you can pick up on the clients and  
put it under your team's files."

Serena's eyes fell when she realized what he meant, "Oh. Sorry I asked..."

She stood up, "Um, I have to get something from the mainframe computer, excuse me."

Before Darien could respond, she walked past him quickly and left him alone in her  
office.

- - - - -

"Quit bugging me!" Serena scolded.

Alex laughed, "Come on, show me how it works!"

Serena rolled her eyes, before lowering her voice to a whisper, "The adminstrator's  
settings are password protected, we're not supposed to go in there."

"But you know the password, right?" Alex asked playfully.

Serena groaned, "So what?"

"I want to check my employee's file," he explained, "I want to see what it says  
about me."

She sighed, "Mr. Collins gave me access to the company's most important files for  
EMERGENCY PURPOSES. I'm not even supposed to use it."

"Come on!" Alex pleaded.

"No!"

"Please?"

"Fine!" Serena exclaimed, typing it in quickly, "Here you go! I still can't  
believe you're twenty-six! Seriously, the way you act, you should be in  
kindergarten, or at the very least, elementary school!"

Alex grabbed the mouse and clicked open a few documents.

"I mean, it's weird enough that you bought insurance from me when you work at an  
insurance firm in the first place," Serena continued, not looking at the monitor,  
"And why did you even transfer here? You had a higher position over at Peace."

"I didn't feel like paying myself commission," Alex said, not really paying  
attention as he continued to browse through the files, "And I didn't really like  
working under my father."

"Your father is Daniel Montgomery, founder of Peace Insurance?" Serena said  
incredulously.

Alex nodded.

"Wow..." Serena said, then added impatiently, "Come on, did you find the file?  
I'm going to get into trouble!"

Alex's eyebrows were furrowed as he continued to type furiously at the keyboard.  
After another minute, he grinned, "Okay, done. I'm described as attractive and  
competent."

"Yeah, right!" Serena laughed as she took over the mouse and logged off from the  
computer, "Okay, I'm going out to meet a client. See you after lunch break."

Alex waited as he watched her disappear through the door.

Then he took out his cell phone and dialed a number he knew by heart.

"Okay," he said, "I've got the names."


	4. Love Hurts

Love Insurance  
by Phantasy Star  
--------------------  
Chapter Four: Love Hurts  
.

She liked him.

Serena Tsukino liked Darien Chiba.

She groaned, burying her head in her hands. How did this happen to her? It was  
completely insane to change her feelings towards a guy that quickly. But then  
again, it was very, very obvious to her now.

Serena sighed.

Yes, he was slightly more arrogant and less considerate than she'd like, but he  
was also incredibly intelligent and charming. And those eyes...

'Too bad he doesn't even know I exist...' Serena thought, discouraged, 'And now  
he's out with this Yulia person, some girl he only met last week but must have  
seen at least twenty times...'

She stared blankly at the folder he had given her about the client he'd passed on  
to her. Then she blinked.

'That's weird...' she thought, 'Where's the page with the contract terms...?'

She frowned.

"This is a perfect reason to go check up on him!" she exclaimed to herself  
suddenly, "I've got to ask him where he keeps this client's files so I can get  
the missing page!"

She quickly closed the folder and ran out of her office, heading for the  
elevators.

- - - - -

Yulia took a deep breath of the ocean air and stared into the sea.

"I can't do this anymore," she said tiredly, "It's too hard."

Darien came up beside her, "You can't give up now."

"I already told the director that I quit," she said, her voice breaking, "The  
female lead hates me and always puts me down, and the hours are just awful! I  
hardly have an hour a day to myself..."

"Yulia," Darien said gently, "Come on. When I first met you, you said you wanted  
to be the brightest star in the sky. You wanted the whole world to know you."

"I didn't know it would be this hard," she protested, "I thought being a movie  
star would be glamorous and self-satisfying."

"And it will be!" Darien said, then sighed, turning to face the water himself,  
"But you've got to take the good with the bad. It's been your lifelong dream to  
star in a movie. When you get handed such an incredible opportunity, you can't  
just walk out on it.

Yulia didn't say anything.

"I'm sure that the director will understand if you explain to him," Darien said,  
"I know you're stressed out, and I know you've been feeling lonely. But in the  
end, it'll all be worth it. Trust me."

Yulia's eyes watered. "You know... I've talked to my best friends about this. I  
called my mom and explained the situation to her. But nobody could make me feel  
better than you just did."

Darien grinned, "Glad to be of ser-"

He stopped when she threw herself against him and brought her arms around him,  
burying her head against his chest.

He smiled as he looked down at the top of her head, "It's all right... It's all  
right..."

- - - - -

Serena stared at them from a distance and her gaze fell to the ground. She turned  
away to walk back to the main roadway away from the beach.

"So, are we done watching yet?"

Serena gasped and turned around to see Alex standing behind a nearby tree.

"You... you followed me?" Serena sputtered.

Alex sighed, "Why do you like that guy anyway?"

Serena pretended to look disgusted, "Mr. Chiba? You've got to be kidding. I...  
I just needed to get something from him, a... a, um, list of contract terms..."

Alex shrugged, "I really like you. I think you're smart, you're cute, and you're  
beautiful. How about giving me a chance?"

Serena blushed. Somehow, she already knew the way he felt about her.

"Alex, I..."

He grinned, "Come on, I'll drive you home."

- - - - -

"Good morning, girls," Serena said as she walked into the office, "Why are you  
looking so nervous?"

"Miss Tsukino!" Lita said as she went quickly to her team leader, "Mr. Montgomery  
just quit!"

Serena frowned, "What are you talking about?"

"It's true," Mina said, "He went into Mr. Collins' office a while ago with an  
envelope in his hand. When he came out, he told us he was leaving."

"That's weird..." Serena said, "Where is he now?"

"In his office."

Serena went quickly to his door and knocked on it twice. When no one answered,  
she opened it.

"Alex, what's going on?" she exclaimed as she walked inside, seeing the cardboard  
box on his desk, "Did you get into an argument with Mr. Collins? Why didn't you  
tell me about it? I could have helped you, or at least talked to him for you or  
something."

"Serena," he said with a chuckle as he put his binders into the box, "I think  
you've misunderstood. I work for Peace Insurance."

Serena shook her head, perplexed, "What do you mean? Are you going back there?  
To work for your dad?"

"Miss Tsukino," Amy interrupted nervously at the doorway, "Mr. Collins needs to  
see you right away."

Serena nodded and turned to Alex, "I'll see if I can talk to him for you."

Before he could respond, Serena ran out and headed for her boss' office.

- - - - -

"Mr. Collins, I... I don't know exactly what happened between you and Mr.  
Montgomery. But I can assure you that-"

He glared at her and threw down a couple of documents on the desk before her. She  
stared at the printed words.

"I..." she whispered when she finished, "I don't understand. This... this must be  
a mistake..."

"Montgomery Limited, which also owns Peace Insurance, is suddenly buying three  
major companies," Mr. Collins said angrily, "They just happen to be Tokyo  
Insurance's biggest clients."

"I... I..." Serena sputtered.

"There's no possible way they could know that 75 percent of our company's business  
comes from these three businesses. That they're also major supporters of our  
stocks."

Serena shook her head over and over.

"Unless SOMEONE let Montgomery go into the company's administrative databases!"  
Mr. Collins finished.

"I..." Serena said, horrified, "He wouldn't do this. I'm sure it isn't him!"

"With those companies under Montgomery Limited's control, do you think they'd  
still turn to us for insurance?" Mr. Collins continued, "Do you understand what  
you've done?"

Serena tried to compose herself. She was just as shocked as her boss was.

"I..." she said, confused, "Mr. Collins, please let me talk to Alex about this..."

- - - - -

Serena ran into Alex's office and saw that he had just finished packing up his  
things.

"Is it true?" she said quietly, her eyes still wild with disbelief, "Did you  
really leak information to Peace Insurance?"

Alex shrugged, "I didn't do anything illegal. My father wanted to buy a few  
businesses and he just happened to take over some corporations which were also  
Tokyo Insurance's biggest clients."

"I... I don't understand," Serena whispered, "How... how could you do this? To  
me? To Mr. Collins? To everybody working here?"

Serena's eyes widened as she realized something that horrified her.

"That's... that's why you were such a gentleman to me when we first met. You saw  
the Tokyo Insurance label on my suitcase..." Serena whispered, "That's how you  
got me to trust you..."

Alex didn't answer.

"And... And you've been so nice to me," Serena continued, tears threatening to  
fall, "Pretending to like me. You've been using me all this time..."

She sniffled as she began to cry, "I can't believe that I was so stupid..."

"I really do like you," Alex said, finally turning to her and giving her one of  
his disarming smiles, "That's why I talked my father into finding you a position  
at Peace. We need a branch director in this district and I recommended you."

He took her hand in his, "Maybe we can take our relationship to the next level  
there. We'll be seeing each other everyday... What do you say?"

"What, are you crazy?" Serena screamed as she broke away from him, "How could you  
even THINK that I'd go with you?"

She ran out of his office and he followed after her, just as Mr. Collins came out  
of his, his face red with fury.

"Sorry, old man," Alex said, grinning, "No hard feelings, eh?"

"You... you..." Mr. Collins sputtered.

Alex turned to Serena, "Think about what I said, okay? Now, I've got to go. I  
have a few business deals to make."

Just as he disappeared into the elevator, Serena watched in horror as Mr. Collins  
collapsed. Darien, who had been watching from the door of his office, quickly  
ran to his side. Serena followed and knelt on the other side of the old man  
who clutched his chest painfully.

"He's having a heart attack!" Darien shouted, "Somebody call an ambulance!"

- - - - -

A few minutes later, Serena sat defeated in the office lobby. The paramedics had  
come and taken her boss away. Darien came up wordlessly and sat beside her.

"He's at the hospital because of me," Serena whispered brokenly, without looking  
at Darien, "I let Alex do this to us. To Mr. Collins..."

"It isn't your fault..." Darien said, "There's no way you could have known..."

"Mr. Collins must hate me..." she said, turning to face him, "You must hate me.  
Tokyo Insurance is going to go out of business and everybody's going to lose their  
job."

"We don't know that yet..." Darien said.

"I can't believe that Alex could do this, and still believe that he didn't do  
anything wrong!" Serena cried suddenly, "He actually thinks I'll transfer to Peace  
and work there with him!"

"What?" Darien said incredulously.

Serena didn't answer.

"There might still be a chance to fix this..." Darien said with a frown.

"How?" Serena asked.

"Well, based on the numbers I've seen..." Darien said, "Losing 75 percent of our  
business is going to hurt us bad, but the line is drawn at around 60 in terms of  
the company's bankruptcy... If we can raise our sales back to 60 percent of what  
we used to make, this season-"

"We might be able break even this year..." Serena finished for him, clutching his  
arm anxiously "And maybe make a comeback in the next!"

Darien nodded, "I don't know how we can suddenly more than double our sales though,  
but it's definitely worth a try."

"We have to do this for Mr. Collins..." Serena said, determined, "We can't just  
let Alex do this to us!"

- - - - -

"So you're going back to work?" Darien asked over the phone. He lay on his bed  
after a tired day and stared at darkness in his room.

"Yeah, I thought about things and you were right," Yulia's reply came, "I'm going  
to follow my dream through."

"That's great," Darien said, then sighed, "I guess I'm the one with the problem  
now..."

"I wish there were something I could do to help," Yulia said sympathetically,  
"Too bad I don't know anything about businesses..."

"We're going to host a dinner on Saturday and hopefully attract some new clients,"  
Darien said, "And get some back too... When Montgomery Limited made it public that  
our company was losing our biggest clients, we lost credibility."

"Hey... I've got it!" Yulia said excitedly, "What if a special guest shows up at  
this dinner of yours? That'll attract people, right?"

"We really don't have the time or money to hire a celebrity..." Darien said  
wearily, "And I wouldn't even know where to start looking for one."

Yulia laughed, "Well... what if Yulia Robarts shows up at the event?"

Darien's eyes widened and he held harder on to the phone in his hand, "That's a  
great idea! But... are you sure it won't be too much trouble for you? You  
already have such a busy schedule working on the film."

"I'll make time," Yulia said brightly, "You know I'd do anything for you, right?"

- - - - -

"Serena?"

"Alex..." Serena breathed as she clutched the phone tightly in her hand, "What do  
you want?"

She turned away from the monitor where she was working on a proposal for a client.

"Have you reconsidered coming over to work for Peace Insurance?"

"Are you kidding me?" Serena said angrily, "You're trying to put my friends out of  
work and you gave my boss a heart attack. Why would I POSSIBLY want to work with  
you?"

Alex sighed, "I thought you'd say that... That's why I came up with something that  
may persuade you."

"I don't want to hear it," Serena said automatically.

Alex ignored her, "If you come over to work for my father for at least three  
months and see if you change your mind about me... I'll ask him to pull back and  
buy only one of the corporations. Then Tokyo Insurance won't go out of business."

"What?" Serena said in disabelief.

"I already talked him into it," Alex explained, "Come on, what do you say?"

Serena stared down at her desk, her eyes hesitant.

- - - - -

"Good news!" Darien said brightly as Serena walked into his office with an  
envelope in her hand, "Yulia said she'll come to the dinner next Saturday, to help  
us do our promotion. Once this gets out, lots of important companies will send  
their representatives."

Serena didn't answer. She just stared at his desk, emotionless.

"What... What's going on, MisS Tsukino?" Darien said, confused.

Serena put the envelope on his desk.

"This is my resignation," she said softly, "I'm... I'm leaving."

It took him a few seconds to process what she had just said.

"What?" he finally managed to get out.

"I'm... transferring to Peace Insurance. Alex found a position for me and I-"

"I can't believe this!" Darien said, "You're actually going with that guy? Just a  
couple of days ago, you were so determined to get back at him for what he did to  
us."

"I've got to look out for myself, you know?" Serena lied, "Tokyo Insurance isn't  
going to make it, and I thought I'd pull out before it's too late."

"Well, I'm sorry, Miss Tsukino," Darien said, his voice low and silky, "You need  
two weeks notice to quit."

Serena opened the envelope she had put on his desk and took out a cheque.

"My salary for the next two weeks..." she said quietly, handing it to him.

His hands almost shaking with rage, Darien took it from her.

"Okay," he said coldly, "Then we're done here."

Serena nodded and turned around to leave.

"You know," Darien called after her, "I've always thought you were a little ditzy,  
careless sometimes and overly explosive. But I'd never label you as selfish. I  
guess it's true what they say... Only in desperate situations do people show their  
true faces..."

Serena turned around and glared at him, "Are you done?"

"Door's over there," Darien said coolly.

Without another word, she walked out.

Once she had closed the door behind her, she sniffled, tears appearing in her eyes.

'I hope I did the right thing...' she thought sadly, 'Darien... You'll forgive me, right?'


	5. Can't Buy Me Love

"You know," Darien called after her, "I've always thought you were a little ditzy,  
careless sometimes and overly explosive. But I'd never label you as selfish. I  
guess it's true what they say... Only in desperate situations do people show their  
true faces..."

Serena turned around and glared at him, "Are you done?"

"Door's over there," Darien said coolly.

Without another word, she walked out.

Once she had closed the door behind her, she sniffled, tears appearing in her eyes.

'I hope I did the right thing...' she thought sadly, 'Darien... You'll forgive me,  
right?'

.  
.  
Love Insurance  
by Phantasy Star  
--------------------  
Chapter Five: Can't Buy Me Love  
.

"Darien's really taking it badly, isn't he..." Serena said, her eyes downcast.

"He's been in a horrible mood all week," Amy said worriedly, "Even after we  
learned that the company's saved and Montgomery Limited pulled back on the deals,  
he still isn't happy. I don't know what to do anymore, Miss Tsukino."

The two girls sat at a coffee shop near Tokyo Insurance and both had a mug of  
chocolate in front of them.

"Please, Amy," Serena said with a smile, "I'm not your team leader anymore. You  
can just call me 'Serena'."

"I'll try to remember," Amy said good-naturedly, "I have something I need to tell  
you. The girls and I have been talking... We're going to apply for positions at  
Peace Insurance. We miss you, and the office just isn't the same without you  
there."

Serena waved her hand at her friend frantically, "No, don't even think about it!  
Working at Tokyo Insurance is way better!"

Amy frowned, putting down her stirring spoon, "I don't understand, Serena. You  
just said everything was great at Peace. And if it isn't, why don't you consider  
coming back to work at Tokyo Insurance?"

Serena sighed, "I can't do that."

Amy looked confused, "Why not?"

"I just can't, Amy. And please don't try to transfer over to Peace."

The blue-haired girl looked hurt, "Miss Tsukino, there's something you're keeping  
from me, isn't there?"

"I..." Serena said, at a loss for words. Then, hesitatantly, she leaned over  
across the table, "Okay, Amy, I'll tell you. But you have to promise me you'll  
never tell Darien, okay?"

Amy nodded.

"Alex... he... he made me a deal. If I transfer to Peace, he'll get his father  
to pull back on buying all three of Tokyo Insurance's top clients."

Amy gasped, "That's awful!"

"Well, not really," Serena said, "At least Tokyo Insurance didn't go bankrupt."

"But Miss Tsukino, why didn't you tell Mr. Chiba about it? He's been taking your  
leaving so hard and all."

Serena sighed, "Because if he knew, he would never let me go. You know how  
straight-laced he is. He wouldn't let Alex blackmail me. Besides, Darien may be  
mad at me now for turning my back on him, but he'll get over it. At least this  
way, he gets to keep his job."

Amy took a deep breath, "Oh, Miss Tsukino, you don't have to do this. The girls  
and I, we all care about you. We wouldn't feel right letting you work at a job  
you hate just so we can keep ours. Please, come back and we'll work through the  
problems together."

Serena gave her a sad smile, "This is the best way - the only way. I'm fine, Amy.  
Really."

- - - - -

Darien stared at the black pen in his hand, finding it hard to concentrate on  
his work.

Even after five days, it bothered him. Not because Serena betrayed him and the  
company. Not because she didn't stay and help save Tokyo Insurance. Not even  
because she left with Alex.

But because... it didn't make sense. It wasn't something she would do. He hadn't  
known her that long but he knew her long enough to know what kind of person she  
was.

With a frown, he buzzed in one of Serena's former assistants.

"Amy," he said into the intercom, "I want you and the other girls to come into  
my office right away."

- - - - -

Serena gathered the papers on her desk and put them into her bag. Then she  
checked her office one last time and turned off the lights.

She sighed. She had to leave late everyday so that Alex wouldn't stay around  
long enough to wait for her, to try to talk her into letting him drive her home.

When she had made sure the coast was clear, she walked out the building and down  
the staircase, when suddenly-

"Hey!" she cried when somebody grabbed her arm and pulled her forcefully to the  
side, into a dark corner, "What are you- Darien?"

He let go of her and glared at her. She straightened her sleeve.

"What are you doing here?" she said, trying to sound annoyed.

"How could you take that stupid deal?" he yelled at her, throwing up his arms  
in frustration, "Do you know how mad you made me when I thought you had abandoned  
the company?"

Serena groaned, "Amy told you! She PROMISED she wouldn't tell."

"Well, I had to lean on her a bit before she talked," Darien said, still angry.  
"I can't believe you did this!"

"Well, what was I supposed to do?" Serena shot back, "I made a huge mistake  
letting that Alex go into the company's database. It's my responsibility to try  
and fix things and this is the only way I know how."

"Serena, you don't need to do this to save Tokyo Insurance!" Darien said, "There  
are lots of ways to bring clients back and find new ones!"

Just then, an all-too-familiar face appeared at the bottom of the staircase.

Alex stared at the two and gave them an unsettling smile, "Hi Serena. I was  
just coming back to see if you wanted a lift home. What a surprise to see you  
here, Darien. All's well at the company, I hope?"

Darien glared daggers at the other man, "I'm here to tell you that Miss Tsukino  
is resigning from Peace."

Alex grinned, "Oh really? Then I guess I'll have to ask my dad to buy back those-"

"Go ahead," Darien said challengingly, "Don't pull back on our account. You  
should be ashamed of yourself, forcing a girl to go with you by threatening her."

Serena pulled on his arm, "Come on, Darien. Please, stop it. I'm happy at Peace.  
If I come back to Tokyo Insurance, the company is going to go out of business."

Alex shrugged, "It's your choice, Serena."

Darien turned to face her, a serious and desperate look in his eyes "I can't let  
you do this. This isn't right. We can find a better way to save the company.  
Please, you've got to trust me."

Serena forced a smile, "It doesn't matter! I'm fine working here! It took a  
while to get used to but now I love it."

Darien shook his head. Amy had told him everything.

Alex smiled, "Well, come on, I'll give you a ride home."

Serena decided that at the moment, anything was worth getting away from Darien.  
She didn't have the energy left to argue with him.

"Okay," she said, trying to ignore the hurt in Darien's face, "Let's go."

She followed Alex into the car and didn't look back. Darien just stared at them  
as they sped off down the street.

'Serena...' he thought, and swore under his breath.

- - - - -

Serena watched the buildings and trees fly by the car windows. She frowned.  
Amy's words flashed acrossed her mind.

'We wouldn't feel right letting you work at a job you hate just so we can keep  
ours. Please, come back and we'll work through the problems together.'

She hesitated. If only it were that easy. It might be possible to keep the  
company from going bankrupt, but it would be very, very difficult. And their  
chances for success were slim to none.

Then she remembered what Darien had just said to her.

'Serena, you don't need to do this to save Tokyo Insurance! There are lots of  
ways to bring clients back and find new ones!'

She recalled how desperate he seemed. Maybe he did care about her after all.

'We can find a better way to save the company. Please, you've got to trust me.'

A better way...? Trust... him...

'You've got to trust me.'

His eyes. They were so sincere and so truthful.

She gasped. What was she doing? What could she have been thinking?

"Alex," she said suddenly, "Stop the car right now!"

- - - - -

Darien groaned tiredly as he stared at the paperwork in front of him. The sun  
was shining brightly but he didn't appreciate the morning view.

Someone knocked on the door.

"Come in," he said gruffly. She did.

He blinked, trying to make sure he wasn't seeing things.

"Serena..." he said, "What... what are you doing here?"

There was no hesitation in her voice.

"The resignation letter I handed to you last week," she said quietly, "I need it  
back. I know formal letters don't get processed until Wednesday, so I know you  
still have it."

Darien's face was filled first with disbelief. Then his features brightened and  
it seemed like a huge weight had been lifted off of him.

"I think that can be arranged," he said, chuckling.

Serena smiled back.

- - - - -

All of Tokyo Insurance's employees sat around the meeting table.

"I believe most of you know that this is Miss Yulia Robarts," Darien, who sat at  
the end of the long table, said as he gestured to the woman sitting beside him,  
"She'll be the celebrity guest at the dinner tomorrow."

Everyone nodded their greetings.

"So," Darien said, "This is the schedule for tomorrow's dinner. We'll mingle  
with the guests for the first hour. Then Miss Yulia Robarts will do a speech for  
us and the press will come in and film it. Are there any other issues we need to  
discuss concerning this topic?"

Raye spoke up, "I've found from the Public Relations department that Peace  
Insurance are sending a few representatives to this dinner as well, most likely  
as guests of the people we're inviting."

"They usually do..." Darien said thoughtfully, "But I don't think that should  
be a problem for us. All of Tokyo Insurance's representatives will be there, so  
we'll most likely beat them to the potential clients. I expect you all to do  
your best and make as many connections as you can tomorrow."

Serena's gaze fell. She hoped that Alex wouldn't be one of those who would be  
coming.

"Is there anything else?" Darien asked. "If not, this meeting is over. I'll see  
you all tomorrow at six."

- - - - -

"Miss Robarts," Serena said, catching up with her and Darien at the elevator, "I  
just want to thank you one more time for helping us out tomorrow."

"It'll be my pleasure," the other girl smiled, "You all seem so nice and I'd be  
really happy if I can do something for you."

The elevator doors opened.

"I'll be sure to bring all my friends to see your new movie," Serena said  
brightly, "It sounds so exciting."

"Thanks," Yulia said, giggling, "I'm excited about it too!"

Darien smiled at Serena, "Well, I'm just going to drive Yulia home. Would you  
like a lift too?"

She hesitated. "Thanks, but I'll be fine going home by myself. Miss Robart's  
hotel is west of here and I'm east, so it'll be too much trouble for you."

"Are you sure?" Darien said, "I don't mind."

"Really, it's okay," Serena said good-naturedly, "Thanks though."

Darien grinned and he led Yulia away to his car.

Serena sighed as they drove off together.

'I guess I'll worry about my feelings for Darien later...' she thought to herself,  
'Right now, the important thing is to do well at this dinner tomorrow and save  
Tokyo Insurance...'

She stared into the darkening sky.

'Besides...' she thought tiredly, 'He seems so happy with her. How can I tell  
him that I like him?'

With another sigh, she walked to the corner of the street and prepared to hail a  
taxi.

.  
.  
- Author's Notes:

Are people still enjoying this story?  
Let me know if you think the chapters  
are getting too "technical" or plot-driven,  
or you don't really like so much business  
talk in the story.

Two chapters left to go. Thanks for reading :)


	6. Signs of Love

Love Insurance  
by Phantasy Star  
--------------------  
Chapter Six: Signs of Love  
.

"I want to start off this meeting by thanking everyone who came last night,"  
Darien said, "The event was a success."

He sat at the end of the long meeting table. The others all looked anxiously at  
him, especially Serena who was twisting a lock of her hair nervously.

"I especially want to thank Miss Robarts for coming. I'm sure your appearance  
last night won over a lot of clients."

Lita raised her hand, "Er, if you don't mind, Mr. Chiba, could we cut to the  
chase? How did we do? Did we do enough to save the company?"

Darien smiled sadly, "We did great. It was the most sales we've made in years.  
But..."

Amy looked down at the table and Raye bit her lip. Mina turned away and sighed.

"... we're still about halfway off. We still haven't been able to break even.  
Which means that we'll have to... we'll just have to come up with a plan B."

Lita slammed her fist on the table, "I can't believe this! That stupid Montgomery,  
buying out all of our biggest clients. I could just kill that guy!"

Serena, who sat beside her, put a hand on her arm, "We'll find a way. There's  
still time. We'll just have to work even harder."

She looked at the others, "I'm sure we can do it. After all, we're all in this  
together, right?"

They all nodded.

"Peace Insurance may still have the upper hand, but we've got integrity, we've got  
skill," Serena said, "We just have to bring better service to our clients so that  
they'll tell their friends and co-workers about us. More than that, we have to  
show the public that we're special.

"I don't know how to do it yet, but we've got to be able to show that we're better  
than those money-driven crazies over at Peace. With all of us together, I'm sure  
we can think of a way."

Slowly, smiles appeared on the employees' faces, determination returning.

"We can do it," Mina said softly.

"Together," Amy smiled.

Darien looked around the table and nodded.

- - - - -

"It was really great what you did there," Darien said, smiling as he and Serena  
walked out of the office together, "You really know how to boost everybody's  
spirits."

"I think I trying to make myself feel better," Serena said with a sigh, "I can't  
believe we still have halfway left to go."

"I know, but that also means we're already halfway done. At least they're not as  
down as they were before. I really appreciate you bringing some energy back to the  
firm," Darien said, "Sometimes, I don't know what I'd do without you."

Serena stopped walking.

"It's, uh, no problem," she said uncomfortably, "I forgot that there's still some  
work I need to do. I'll see you later, Darien."

Darien stared after her as she walked quickly back into the office building. With  
a shrug, he continued to the parking lot.

- - - - -

Serena sighed as she went into her office and shut the door.

She wished he wouldn't say things like that to her. Suggesting that maybe they  
have a chance together when he likes Yulia. It was probably just her thinking he  
was flirting with her anyway.

'It's easier if you just leave me alone, Darien,' she thought, 'Then I wouldn't  
have to see what a great guy you are but that I can't be with you.'

With a sigh, she turned to her office window and looked outside, when something  
caught her eye.

- - - - -

"Yulia?" Darien said as she walked up to him, "What are you doing here? I thought  
you went back to the hotel after the meeting."

"I did... But I realized that there's something I needed to say to you in person  
and I really didn't feel like waiting anymore."

Darien nodded, "All right, what do you got?"

Yulia glanced around.

"Don't worry, everybody's left, other than Serena. I just finished my papers so I  
was going to go, but Serena's still in the office."

Yulia sighed, "All right, here goes."

She looked up at him, her eyes turning sad, "I'm... leaving. I'm going back to  
the States. My shoot is finished."

"That's... great," Darien said, forcing a smile, "I knew you could do it. I knew  
you could finish the movie."

"I know you did," Yulia said softly, "And I just really want to thank you, so much,  
for everything you've done for me. If all Tokyo men are like you, maybe I should  
move to Japan."

Darien laughed. Then he looked at her seriously, "So... when do you leave?"

"Tonight," she whispered.

Darien looked up, surprised, "Oh... okay."

"Thanks... Mr. Chiba," Yulia said and kissed him on the cheek, "I'll never forget  
you."

He looked down at her, trying to keep his emotions in check, "And I'll never forget  
you."

- - - - -

"Oh no," Serena whispered, "Poor Darien..."

She watched from her office window as he drove away in his car.

"I can't believe Yulia's leaving..."

- - - - -

"Good morning Serena."

She looked up from her morning coffee and saw Darien standing over her, dark rings  
under his eyes. He put his briefcase down on the floor and took the kettle to pour  
himself a cup.

"Hey... Mr. Chiba. How... how are you doing?"

He shrugged as he took a sip, "Still trying to revise the plans... The gold premium  
isn't selling at all so I'm redoing the contract."

"That's why I told Amy," Serena said, surprised, "She's already done some research  
on it so you can talk to her if you want."

"Great," Darien said, "I will."

He finished his coffee and put the cup in the sink, "Hey, what are you doing for  
lunch today?"

"No client meetings, if that's what you mean," Serena said.

"You've been such great help I thought I'd take you out, maybe to that new  
restaurant around the corner."

Serena frowned, "I, uh... I have to catch up on some work, so I don't think I will.  
Thanks for the offer though."

"Maybe next time then," Darien grinned, picking up his suitcase and walking to his  
office.

Serena watched as he left. 'What... What was that about...?'

- - - - -

"So, Serena, how's everything at work going?"

Serena shrugged, "Same as last week. Trying to get new clients, sell new plans..."

Her mother sighed, "It seems you're really stressed out."

Serena forced a smile, "I'm okay, really. I'm just worried about Darien, he's  
been working way too hard."

Ikuko's eyes twinkled, "And what's going on in THAT department?"

Serena shook her head, "Nothing."

"Come on, Serena," her mother said, "Your father's out at that conference and it's  
the two of us at dinner, it's the perfect time for some girl talk."

Serena rolled her eyes, "Mom, there's nothing to talk about. He... I thought he  
liked me before, but now I know that he doesn't. And... even if he does now, I  
don't to be some runner-up. I know that he really likes someone else."

"What are you talking about?" Ikuko said with a frown.

Serena sighed. "Let's just say that I'll probably end up a spinster and end up  
moving back in with you and dad."

"Aw, you know we'd love that, but we've already turned your room into a library!"

"Mom!" Serena said playfully.

- - - - -

"Good night, Miss Tsukino," Mina said.

"See you tomorrow guys," Serena said as she watched her friends leave.

"Don't stay too late, Miss Tsukino," Amy said good-naturedly.

"Don't worry, I'll be leaving in half an hour. I just make sure I go after you  
guys do so you think I'm here all night!"

The girls laughed and said goodbye.

Darien walked out of his office with a folder tucked under his arm.

"Everybody's gone?" he asked when he saw Serena alone in the room.

"They just left," Serena said, "It's nine, you know."

"Oh wow, time flies..." Darien muttered. Then his eyes brightened, "When are you  
leaving?"

"I'm just about to, actually," she said, "Just have to finish drafting this  
proposal and I'll be done."

Darien walked over to her desk, "Hey, you haven't even had dinner yet. What say  
we go out and grab a bite to eat together?"

Serena looked at the computer monitor quickly, "Um, I have some leftovers from last  
night waiting at home... Maybe next time."

Darien shrugged, "Okay..."

He disappeared into his office.

Serena sighed in relief, beginning to type at her computer again.

"Hey, Serena," Darien said, coming out of his office again and making her groan  
inwardly, "You remember that restaurant I was telling you about the other day?  
They serve great breakfasts there. I thought maybe tomorrow morning we-"

"Darien," Serena interrupted, "I'm really tired and I seriously need to get this  
proposal finished by tonight, so..."

"Okay," he said with a nod, "Sorry."

Serena gave him a small smile to let him know that it was okay, and he went back  
into his office.

- - - - -

"The agenda for today's meeting should be clear to everyone," Darien said, "I'd  
like to start by reviewing the plans we have with our most established clients."

Raye spoke up, "I've had a good talk with Tokyo Travel last Wednesday. They're  
going to renew our contracts for another four years."

"Good," Darien said, "What about you, Mark?"

He shook his head.

"After they heard about our situation, Parkers Incorporated cancelled their plans.  
I tried to negotiate but we couldn't reach an agreement. I highlighted our lower  
costs and compared our prices with Peace's..."

"Thanks Mark," Serena said with a smile, "I'm sure you tried your best. But I want  
to suggest something to you and to all of us. Yes, lower prices is important to  
our clients, and selling packages is our job. But working in this business, it's  
important that in exchange for the payments we receive, we give our clients a sense  
of security, something that makes them feel cared for."

Mark nodded, "I see what you're saying, Miss Tsukino. I should have talked more  
about our services rather than our prices."

Serena smiled, "Right. We're not just selling pieces of paper. We're helping  
people feel good about where their extra money is invested in. We're giving them  
a peace of mind. That's what's really important."

Darien's face was thoughtful. He was memorizing her words, somehow sure that they  
would become useful very soon.

- - - - -

"Serena, have you been avoiding me?"

Surprise was written over her face.

"What are you talking about?"

They stood in the parking lot of the office building, alone.

Darien tried again, "You've refused to be alone with me for any length of time,  
you've barely spoken a word to me at the meetings, you always get Amy or one of the  
others to relay messages to my office so you don't have to come in yourself."

"I don't mind being alone with you, we're alone right now. I don't speak to you  
at meetings because I'm also an executive at the company so if I had to talk to you  
directly, I wouldn't need to take advantage of a meeting situation. I get one of  
the girls to tell you what I have to say because I'm lazy."

Darien frowned, "Serena, come on."

"Come on what?" she said, exasperated, "You're... You're reading too much into  
things."

"Isn't it obvious what I'm trying to do?"

Serena froze.

This was it.

The moment she had been hoping would not happen was happening.

"I gotta go," Serena said, walking quickly to her car.

He caught up with her.

"I like you, okay?" he said.

"I like you too," Serena said, "You're my new best friend, okay? I... I really  
have to go."

Darien sighed, "You're going to make me say it, aren't you? I'm falling in-"

"No you're not!" Serena cried, "You're not, okay? You were falling in love with  
Miss Robarts, but she left, so now you're going for me. I know, okay?"

Darien blinked, confused, "What are you talking about?"

"Please, you can't tell me you've never had feelings for Yulia," Serena said.

"I... I may have... at one point. But what does that matter?"

Serena closed her eyes. She had been wishing that she was wrong.

"Because, you should go after her," Serena said, "I'm not the one that you really  
like, Darien. Don't you get it?"

"But you are," he said with a small smile, "I see how you are with at the office,  
how you make everybody feel good, I... I-"

"I don't want to be your girlfriend if you don't really want me to be your  
girlfriend. I've seen how you are around Yulia, and I know you're really into her.  
If you end up with me, you'll never be truly happy."

Darien didn't answer.

"And neither will I," Serena whispered, "I've got to go. We have enough on our  
hands trying to pull the company back together. Let's just focus on that.  
Please?"

He still didn't reply, his eyes emotionless.

She opened her car door and stepped inside.

As she drove out of the parking lot, she saw in the rear mirror Darien sighing  
heavily before turning to his own car.

'Sorry, Darien...' Serena thought, 'I just wish you chose me first.'

She turned her eyes back to the road and drove away.

.  
.

- Author's Notes:

Hehe, turns out I'm still alive.  
I WILL finish this 'fic in January,  
there's only one chapter left.

Thanks for reading!

Phantasy Star


	7. Love Insurance

Author's Notes: 

Phew, finally finished this story! Hope you'll like this last chapter. Thanks for reading and sticking with this story. My other 'fic "Separate Ways" will be continued soon.  
.  
.  
Love Insurance  
by Phantasy Star  
--------------------  
Chapter Seven: Love Insurance  
.

"Come in."

"Hey, Mr. C," Serena said cheerfully as she walked into the hospital room of her boss.  
"I brought you some-"

She stopped when she saw that Mr. Collins already had a visitor. Darien sat in a  
chair beside him, a deck of cards in his hand that he was dealing when she  
interrupted.

"Serena," Darien said politely, "It's nice to see you."

It wasn't often that she had seen him outside of the office, without his suit and  
tie. He wore a black T-shirt which highlighted his broad shoulders and a pair of  
dark blue jeans.

Serena forced a smile, "You too. I brought you some congee, Mr. C."

The older man groaned, "Again? I thought I asked you to sneak in a steak for me  
next time you visited."

"Sorry, Mr. C," Serena said with a smile. "You know what the doctors said. Besides,  
you don't pay me enough to buy steak dinners."

"Always out to get a raise," Mr. Collins muttered playfully.

"You know me," Serena said playfully, "Well, I'm going to go then. I won't keep you  
from your card game."

"We were just wishing we had one more player for Texas Hold'em," Mr. Collins said  
wistfully, "Come on, Miss Tsukino, grab a seat."

Serena looked doubtful, "I don't know... I'm not much of a card player."

"We won't be playing for money," the old man said, "Come sit, come sit. Unless  
you two really can't stand to even be in the same room."

Serena sighed, then shrugged in defeat, "All right, but you'd better go easy on me."

- - - - -

"Royal flush," Serena said, revealing her hand.

"You've got to be kidding!" Darien exclaimed, "I thought you were bluffing!"

She smiled sweetly, "I've never been known to mislead people in any way."

"Except for in the last game," Darien scoffed, "Well, I'm out of chips."

"So am I," Mr. Collins said, pushing the rest of them to Serena.

"Cool, looks like I won again," Serena exclaimed.

"One more round," Mr. Collins pleaded.

"I wish I can, but I'm supposed to meet Amy for lunch... I'll see you at work  
tomorrow, Mr. Chiba. Bye Mr. C."

Mr. Collins chuckled as he turned to look at Darien, his eyes still lingering at the  
door after Serena had walked out, "My, you seem to be staring at Miss Tsukino a lot,  
wouldn't you agree?"

Darien immediately looked down and began dividing up the chips, "I don't know what  
you're talking about."

"And," the old man said as he shuffled the cards expertly, "Knowing how rash you are,  
I'd say you already told her and, since I haven't heard rumours of any office  
romance in Tokyo I., I'd say she rejected you."

Darien frowned, "What are you, a mind reader?"

"Come on, Mr. Chiba..." Mr. Collins grinned, "You're a businessman, and an insurance  
sales representative, no less. You can talk anybody into anything."

Darien almost laughed, "Even into being my girlfriend?"

Mr. Collins leaned forward and caught his eyes, "Even that."

- - - - -

"Amy," Serena said into the intercom, "I need the renewed contracts I gave you-"

Amy burst through the door carrying the folders and Serena jumped, clutching her chest  
in fear of a heart attack.

"Oh geez, Amy, when are you going to stop doing that?" Serena exclaimed, "You don't  
have to wait by the door until I buzz you in asking for whatever I need, okay? You  
can just bring them right in."

"I wouldn't want to interrupt you," Amy said, dropping the folders on her desk and  
then an extra folder in red, "Mr. Chiba wanted you to take a look at this. He asked  
me not to brief it and to give it to you directly."

"Thanks, Amy," Serena said and her blue-haired secretary walked out of her office.

A few minutes later, she had finished typing up the contract she needed and  
she remembered the red folder Amy had delivered from Darien. She opened it  
curiously. It was empty.

With a frown, she went to Darien's office.

- - - - -

Darien tapped his pencil against the desk nervously.

His coffee sat untouched at the end of the table. A pile of paperwork was in front of  
him but he hadn't done any work all day.

He looked at the clock again. Amy took his contract to Serena's office fifteen minutes  
ago. Why hadn't he heard back yet?

A knock came at his door.

"Come in," he croaked, finding his voice dry and clearing it quickly, "I mean, come in."

Serena walked in and Darien stared up at her.

"Hey," he said softly.

"Er... hey..." she said, trying to avoid his intense gaze, "Darien, you're creeping me  
out."

"You opened the folder, right?" he said nervously, "So... is... is it a yes?"

Serena frowned at him, "Yes what? That red folder you gave me was empty. There was  
nothing inside."

"That's impossible," Darien stood up, frowning, "I knew I put it in there. Oh, maybe I-"

His face paled visibly.

Just then, the fax machine began to print the daily bulletin.

"I... I think accidentally put what I was supposed to give you into the bulletin pile.  
Darien said in horror, then began spouting out a long string of elaborate curse words.

"Why? What did you send me?" Serena said, taking the top fax page out of the machine.

- - - - - - -

TOKYO INSURANCE  
CONTRACT TERMS

PROPOSAL: LOVE INSURANCE

- - - - - - -

Her eyes were filled with confusion as she turned to him, "Darien, what is this?"

- - - - - - -

Licensee/Company: Tokyo Insurance

Effective Date: Date of delivery of the Contract to You.

ENTITLEMENT FOR SERENA TSUKINO

License Term: Permanent (Not subject to termination under the TIA)

Licensed Unit: Chiba to Tsukino

Licensed unit Count: Unlimited

Conditions:

1) Chiba shall never set sights on any other girl, effective immediately, not expirable.

2) Chiba shall answer to all of Tsukino's wants and needs, whether implied or explicit...

- - - - -

Mina burst out laughing, "Oh you guys, look at number 6!"

"Oh, hahahahaha!" Raye said, "That could be so easily misinterpreted as being dirty!"

"Oh, you guys have to got to read 12, it's sooo romantic..." Lita groaned.

"Guys, we shouldn't be reading this..." Amy said hesitantly, her face growing red.

"Mr. Chiba SENT it to us!" Raye argued.

"Obviously not on purpose!" Amy argued.

"Oh, number 14, number 14!" Mina screamed with laughter, "That one is so corny! Oh,  
I think I'm gonna die, I really do!"

Just then, Darien's office door opened, and everyone froze.

Serena walked out, followed by a red-faced Darien.

"Come on, Miss Tsukino, sign it!" Raye chided, the first to speak up.

"Yeah, according to this, you can get Mr. Chiba to do pretty much anything you want!"  
Lita joked, "Just look at 10 through 14!"

Serena, stifling a giggle, held up the last printed page, with her signature clearly  
on the entrustee line.

The office burst into cheers.

"This wasn't how I planned to do this," Darien said wearily, turning to his new  
girlfriend.

"Then how come this is the best way I could have imagined it being done?" Serena  
whispered jokingly and let him kiss her.

At this, the others got up and surrounded the new couple, clapping.

When they broke apart, Serena's eyes sparkled.

"Hey!" she exclaimed, "I just had an interesting idea!"

- - - - -

One month later...

"Come on, I want to switch over to Tokyo Insurance."

"I don't want to fill in all those forms again, Ann," the young man said to his  
girlfriend, exasperated.

"But as a promotion, they're giving away free 'Love Insurance' contracts along with  
another package we buy... And I want one, it's so cute!"

"It'll cost us money to switch!"

"Hey!" the girl said angrily, "Are you saying you don't want to sign a 'Love Insurance'  
contract with me? Is it because you're not really serious about our relationship?"

"Fine, fine, fine," the guy said, annoyed, "We'll stop by Tokyo Insurance on the way  
home."

"Thanks sweetie!"

- - - - -

Darien stood solemnly at the front of the meeting table.

"Well," he said, "I think it's pretty clear that last month, our sales have improved  
significantly. As to how significantly, well, Miss Tsukino?"

Serena smiled as she opened her folder to the sales figures page, "Platinum package, 288.  
Gold package, 351. Basic life insurance, 520."

She closed her folder, "Overall, we made more than enough to meet even with our previous  
deficit, and Tokyo Insurance is definitely staying in business!"

After the cheers had died down, Serena grinned as she stood up and walked over to Darien.

"And Mr. Chiba here," she said with a huge smile, "will be taking all of us out for dinner,  
and he's treating!"

Darien turned to her, bewildered, "What?"

"Contract term number 2, sweetie," she whispered.

He sighed.

"Where do you guys want to go?"

.  
.  
EPILOGUE

"I think these are our seats," Serena said.

Serena and Darien shuffled into the aisle of the dark movie theatre.

"This is so cool," Serena whispered, "I've never been to a movie premiere before."

"I kind of wish we weren't late though," Darien said.

"Sorry my phone call with Amy lasted a little longer than I expected," Serena said, "I still  
can't believe Peace Insurance is going out of business. I can't help feeling a little bad  
for Alex."

"I heard on the news that Mr. Montgomery is threatening to cut his ties with his son,"  
Darien said, "Might be just a rumour, who knows?"

"Speaking of rumours..." Serena said, "When Yulia called me to let me know about these  
tickets, she said that the office gossip about you and her were just that - rumours."

Darien sighed, "Now do you believe me?"

"I never doubted you," Serena said, "I just didn't know back then, that's all."

After focusing on the movie for a moment, Serena whispered, "This film is pretty slow..."

"I know..." Darien said, "We haven't even seen Yulia yet."

He grinned and turned to her, "Well, you know what people do at boring movies..."

Serena smiled as he took her hand in his, "Making out at movies? That is so cliche..."

As he leaned over, he stopped and stared deep into her eyes.

"Hey... You... you know how serious I am about this, right? About you and me?"

She nodded, "I do."

"I... I care more about you than I've cared about anyone or anything in my life," he  
said, then smiled nervously as if he had just given a huge secret away.

"That wasn't in the contract," she whispered.

"I know," he answered, "I'm saying it."

"Then I believe you."

And he kissed her.

.  
.  
THE END


End file.
